Vier op de bazuin blazende engelen 1683 - 1733

This engraving by Bernard Picart depicts four angels, each announcing with their trumpets amidst a sky rent by lightning. The trumpet, a symbol of proclamation, heralds divine announcements. This motif carries echoes of ancient Roman triumphs, where trumpets signaled the arrival of emperors, a display adopted by Christianity to denote heavenly glory. Consider how the sound of trumpets, much like the blaring horns of war, stirs deep-seated emotions. In the biblical context, these trumpets may signify the arrival of divine judgment, calling forth the subconscious fears of chaos and reckoning. These celestial figures, with their trumpets, exist far beyond the confines of this print, resonating through time as they are reborn in different garbs, continuously reflecting humanity’s evolving relationship with the divine and the unknown.